Christmas in Purgatory Essay

After seeing the video and receiving a glimpse into the lives of the people and families that had to live through the traumatic events that took place I completely agreed with the Christmas in Purgatory book that â€Å"there is a hell on earth. † One of the main things I realized from the video and class discussion was that helping better the education and accommodations for students with disabilities is a job for every educator. The video helped me relate the information to my own life by making me realize one major flaw that I failed to see in myself was thinking that because I am not a special education major it is not as important for me to help take the necessary steps to better the educational need of those with disabilities. After watching the Willowbrook video I realized that much of the problem with what happened may have begun with people who looked the other way because they thought it was of no concern of theirs. The images and video really helped me grasp the realness of what happened. It was truly something I had to see to believe. I think it related to the course information by really opening students eyes and making us want to learn more and do more to make things better for those with disabilities. The information I learned has made me realize that my view on what role I should play in helping students with disabilities was incredibly off. This fact really made me like the video because it helped give me a better perspective on things. It really brought to my attention the reality of what happened and how everyone needs to play a part in taking steps to make things better. I think the information we learned and discussed in class will truly make students want to help make a change. The video, images, and discussion will hopefully alter everyone’s perspective, like it has mine, for the better and make us work toward creating an improved learning environment for students with disabilities. The experience of completing this assignment was really exciting for me because I was able to learn something about myself and persons with disabilities that I had not known before. This information should impact everyone, including myself; to make sure that something this tragic never happens again.